Saturday, January 8, 2011

Confused Cakes: The Boston Cream Pie Edition


I'll take a slice of his pie...cake? Whatever dude's feckin' sexy


Hello all you food loving, sexy bitches! How art thou this fine winters morning? I'm glorious because there is a soft blanket of fluffy snow love covering the valley and it's fricken gorgeous! Until the slat and grime turns it to brown and the streets look like every hobo, stray cat and drunk a-hole forgot where the bathroom was. MOVING ON! Today we are here to discuss the importance of Boston Cream Pie in modern day society, along with it's effects on global warming and how we can reduce it's carbon foot print....hold on for a motha truckin second! Well that just makes no sense...my bad I mixed up Boston Cream Pie with my other blog about public global awareness and economic crisis, called The Naked Economist and Environmental Crusader...Oh wait I don't have a blog about public global awareness and economic crisis. Ha! I'm not smart enough for that! Ok I'm done lets move on.

How about some informative information on the historical history of this piecake. First and foremost you must know that as of 1996 this majestic dessert became a symbol of sweetness and freedom as the OFFICIAL DESSERT OF THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS!

Ok I realize Massachusetts is holding beans but deal with it

So yes the official dessert in Massachusetts, isn't that something? I'd be honored to be the OFFICIAL PAM OF MASSACHUSETTS...can we arrange that? I mean it is the finest state in the Union...I may be a touch partial due to the fact that I live here.

SO back in 1856 The Parker House Hotel in Boston (now the Omni Parker House Hotel) started serving a new dessert by a french Pastry Chef by the name of Sanzian. He started whipping up this fancy shamncy cakepie but it wasn't called Boston Cream Pie until 1879. This was also the year it was first published in a cookbook, Housekeeping in Old Virginia. Cooks in New England and Pennsylvania Dutch regions were known for their cakes and pies and the dividing line between them was very thin. This cake was probably called a pie because in the mid-nineteenth century, pie tins were more common than cake pans. The first versions might have been baked in pie tins. Boston Cream Pie is a remake of the early American "Pudding-cake pie."

And there you have it home diddlys thats you history lesson for the day. In all retrospect Boston Cream Pie may be one of the easiest desserts I've ever made, it does have multiple steps but it's very basic in the ingredients department. I think thats what draws me to it from a baking aspect it's simple elegance if done well, when I say that I mean if you google this you'll see a ton of pictures of cakes looking like they are falling apart with thin chocolate sauce running off the sides. And the recipes you find often call for cake mix and pudding, BLASPHEMY!!! The only reason cake mix gets used in this house is for dump cake, "Dump Cake blog!


RECIPE TIME!

PS I'LL HAVE A PHOTO OF MINE SOON! THIS SITE ISN'T LIKING iPHOTE RIGHT NOW!!

FECKIN' BOSTON CREAM PIE!

We shall start with the Pastry Cream because it needs to cool in the fridge before assembly.

PASTRY CREAM

Begin by steeping 1 1/4c of whole milk with the beans of one vanilla pod for 15 minutes, do that by just heating the milk and beans then shutting off the heat.

4 yolks
1/4c sugar
1/8c ap flour
3T corn starch

1. In a medium heat proof bowl whisk together the four ingredients to make a paste
2. After steeping bring milk up to just a simmer remove from heat
3. Slowly add the milk to the paste whisking constantly. SLOWLY to prevent curdling.
4. When all is mixed return to pot and place on medium high heat
5. Whisking vigorously cook the cream until thickened and smooth; transfer to a new container cover all the way down to surface of cream to prevent skin
Refrigerate

SPONGE CAKE
Preheat oven to 350F

5 eggs
3/4c sugar, divided
1/2t vanilla extract
3/4c flour
1t baking powder
1/4t salt
3T milk
2T unsalted butter
1/8t cream of tartar

1. Separate three eggs, add two remaining eggs to yolks. Bring up to room temp, about 30 min.
2. Mix together four, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Melt the butter and milk together, keep warm, set aside
4. With a paddle attachment beat yolks with 6T of sugar on high speed for five minutes. They should be thick and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract.
5. Transfer yolks into a new bowl and clean out the bowl they were in.
6. With a whisk attachment beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy then gradually add remaining sugar, beat until soft moist peaks form.
7. Fold a little of the whites into the yolk mix to lighten it, and then add the rest of the whites folding just until incorporated. GENTLY!! Sift half of the flour mix over the top of the batter and gently fold through with a rubber spatula. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in. FECKIN' GENTLY! DON'T OVER MIX THIS!!
8. Pour batter into two eight inch pans lined with parchment.
9. Bake 15 minutes then immediate invert out of pans and remove parchment. Cool.

GANACHE pronounced Gun-AH-shhh

8oz chopped dark chocolate
8oz chopped heavy cream....what? Just 8oz of heavy cream haha

Bring cream it just a boil, pour over chocolate and mix until melted and smooth, set aside.

ASSEMBLING THE SEXY ASS CAKES!!!

Cut tops off the cakes then carefully and evenly divid the layers in half using a serrated knife. Fill each layer with cream then if you have the acetate wrap around the cake. Pour ganache over top and put in fridge to set up the ganache. Remove acetate and enjoy!!!!

There you have it! I most surely hope you enjoy it and if you want to me making it here watch this!



THANKS FOR CHIGGETY CHECKING MY BLOG OUT YOU SAUCY MINX YOU!

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